A goal in the development of new vehicles is the constant improvement of safety. While in the past this was achieved essentially via passive measures, such as seat belts, crumple zones, or air bags, for example, the most recent improvements are in the field of active safety. For example, the ABS prevents the wheels from locking in the event of full braking and thus guarantees steerability at all times. The ESP stabilizes the vehicle even at the limit of driving dynamics. With the aid of ASR, it is possible to prevent wheel spinning. In order to achieve an additional increase in safety, it is increasingly being attempted to detect specific dangerous driving situations early using a sensor system that detects the surroundings, and to react in a correspondingly preventative manner.
Methods for sensor signal processing for systems for detecting surroundings of robots have been known for some time from computer science and robotics. In this connection, the detection range of the sensors is divided into a predefined number of fields. For each field, a probability value is determined as a measure for the existence of the obstacle in the respective field. Such methods are known as occupancy grids or belief grids or evidence grids.
Recently, these methods or variants of these methods have also been used in the field of driver assistance systems for motor vehicles at original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or their research partners and research establishments.
A detection device and a safety system for a motor vehicle are described in printed publication DE 10 2004 007 553 A1. It provides for the existence of obstacles in the area surrounding the motor vehicle to be inferred, in that the probability value of each field is compared to a predefined probability threshold value. If the probability value of the field is greater than the predefined probability threshold value, then the existence of an obstacle in this field is inferred.
A method for triggering and performing a deceleration of a vehicle is described in printed publication WO 03/006291 A1. It is provided that in the event of a dangerous situation, a braking or steering intervention or a combination of both is automatically performed in order to avoid a collision or to reduce possible consequences of a collision. This takes place in view of objects detected by a sensor.
Printed publication EP 1 387 183 A1 additionally discusses a method for detecting the imminence of an unavoidable collision. With the aid of attainable possible positions of involved objects, areas may be described and considered with regard to each other, so that a disappearance of an area of positions of an object allows for the unavoidability of the imminent collision to be inferred.
A method for influencing the travel trajectories of automobiles is discussed in printed publication DE 10 2004 045 606 A1. In this connection, essentially the automobile is to be guided on a specific, previously calculated trajectory, so that specific maneuvers are able to be performed in a reproducible manner. In particular, the performance of crash tests is named as an application field in this context; however, it is also to be used for the coordinated travel of two road users, so that instead of a specifically precipitated collision, the latter is precisely avoided. In this context, the required information comes from an external coordinator or from the other involved vehicle through a line-conducted or a non-line-conducted transmission arrangement. The information required in this instance is not provided by one's own corresponding surroundings sensor system and a corresponding understanding of the situation, but rather is provided directly by the other road user.
A steering system for motor vehicles is discussed in printed publication EP 970 875 A. Through this steering system, a collision between a vehicle equipped with the steering system and an obstacle is to be avoided by a suitable steering intervention. The steering system includes a regulating and control system, with which the setpoint and actual steering angle are regulated and controlled during operation of the vehicle.
Printed publication JP 2000 302057 A discusses a method for a vehicle, which in the event of an existing obstacle evaluates different solution strategies, which can lead to a braking and/or a steering intervention.
A method and a device for predicting movement trajectories of objects are disclosed in printed publication DE 102 31 556 A1. In this connection, only braking and evasion trajectories that take the vehicle to the limit in terms of driving dynamics are taken into account. Through a surroundings sensor system, movements of involved objects are detected, and their trajectories predicted. With the aid of these predicted object trajectories, it is then possible to calculate a system intervention that de-escalates in the best possible way.
In printed publication EP 1 251 060 A2, a method for vehicle control is discussed, which is to support the driver during evasion, as soon as it is detected that a sole braking reaction is no longer sufficient for avoiding a collision. To this end, in the event that a collision-avoiding evasion maneuver is detected, the steering properties of the vehicle are modified. Essentially, this is achieved by activating a rear-wheel steering and by applying braking torques.